Tear Jerker / The Dark Phoenix Saga

• In the final battle between the X-Men and the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard, Empress Lilandra and Charles Xavier are watching from a ship in orbit. As the X-Men lose more and more battles and their numbers are reduced, Xavier's grief and horror grow ever deeper, and Lilandra wishes more than anything she could console the man she loves, but since they're technically on opposite sides of this conflict, and the fate of the universe hangs potentially in the balance, she can only watch and try not to cry while anyone's watching.

• Jean's death. Both in the moments leading up to, and after, the energy blast that disintegrates her. It's quiet, it's sad and you just get the feeling that it's so... unfair. Even more so that Jean herself felt that she needed and deserved to die for what she had done to the D'Bari as Dark Phoenix, and what she might yet do if the Phoenix force were to ever overtake her again.
  • Jean's story in general. By far one of the nicer members of the team, a young woman searching for her place in a world that despises her just for being born "different", is suddenly given the powers of a god, then almost dies while saving the rest of the team, including the man she loves, then she's manipulated by the Hellfire Club for their benefit, and finally all the different experiences take a toll on her, eventually letting the Phoenix force overtake her.